Question
(2x cubed - 12x squared + 5x - 3) - (7x cubed + 10x squared - 3x + 20)
What is the first step in simplifying this difference?
combine like terms
distribute the negative to the second set of parentheses
make the parentheses one term
put the expression in descending order
distribute the negative to every term in the first and second set of parentheses
What is the first step in simplifying this difference?
combine like terms
distribute the negative to the second set of parentheses
make the parentheses one term
put the expression in descending order
distribute the negative to every term in the first and second set of parentheses
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The first step in simplifying the given expression \((2x^3 - 12x^2 + 5x - 3) - (7x^3 + 10x^2 - 3x + 20)\) is to **distribute the negative to the second set of parentheses**. This means you will change the signs of each term in the second set of parentheses before combining like terms.
So you would rewrite the expression as:
\[
2x^3 - 12x^2 + 5x - 3 - 7x^3 - 10x^2 + 3x - 20
\]
After this step, you can then proceed to combine like terms.
So you would rewrite the expression as:
\[
2x^3 - 12x^2 + 5x - 3 - 7x^3 - 10x^2 + 3x - 20
\]
After this step, you can then proceed to combine like terms.